Hide and Seek
by Rock O'Love
Summary: Hunter and Stephanie lose their lives in the blink of an eye, one blistery night. They wake up and realize all is not as it seems, as they are in an unfamilar place. When two angels tell them exactly what is going on and why, this married couple must lear
1. Chapter 1

_Where are we? What the hell is going on? The dust has only just began to form crop circles in the carpet, sinking, feeling. Spin me around again and rub my eyes. This can't be happening. When busy streets, a mess with people that stop to hold their heads heavy. Hide and seek...trains and sewing machines. All those years...they were here first._

"I can't wait until we can settle back into our warm and cozy house, cuddle up with blankets and a fire, and just do nothing for a change," Stephanie grinned to her husband.  
"Yeah, we won't have to worry about freezing our butts off in this damn freezing weather," said Hunter, who was driving on the icy roads of the expressway.

"It doesn't help driving in the dark on such icy roads like this," Stephanie added.  
"We'll be home soon enough," he assured her, grabbing her hand gently and kissing it.

"I personally wouldn't mind turning our bathroom upstairs into a nice, steamy sauna of our very own, if you know what I me--"  
"HUNTER, LOOK OUT!"  
...Crash...

The roads along Highway 66 were blocked off, as policemen braved the cold while trying to direct the long rows of traffic to a detour. The others were assisting firemen and paramedics with the scene at hand. They had already pulled the woman out from the wreckage, but that had taken awhile. A fire sqaud was now trying to remove the driver of the car with the jaws of life. He was squished between steel and leather interior inside the black rental car.

A blinding mix of red, white, and blue emergency lights lit up the highway for miles, as chaos abound in all sorts of places.  
"We've got the top!" one of the rescue workers shouted to a team of medics waiting for the next victim to be freed.

The woman had a weak pulse and had shattered many bones. She had suffered a deep contusion to the head, and the paramedics were having more difficulty trying to save her, each minute that went by.  
The chief of police from the area walked over to them and looked down at the unconscious woman. "Good lord," he exclaimed, looking around the area. "Winter and expressways never mix."  
"She's critical but not stable enough to be loaded into the bus just yet," one of the medics said.  
He shook his head. "Damn shame this is. She looks like a pretty girl too."  
One of the firemen who was now standing beside the chief nodded sadly. "Tragedy, a real tradgedy. They're both wearing wedding rings, must've been husband and wife from the looks of it."  
"Hey," said the chief, taking a closer look at the woman, "This lady looks awful familiar. Isn't she that heiress to one of them wrestling thrones?"  
"She is, sir," replied the medic.

A cop walked up to them and handed the woman's wallet to the chief. "Found this on the girl when they pulled her out," he said. "Her name's Stephanie McMahon-Levesque. Just twenty-six years old."  
"That's her alright," nodded the chief, giving a heavy sigh.  
"We're losing her!" shouted a medic, as they pulled out the portable defibulators.

The chief walked away and went over to where the other victim was. They were slowly pulling his body from the wreckage.  
"Easy with the head and neck," one of the firemen said.  
The chief looked at Hunter's driver's license and wallet. "Husband's a wrestler?" he asked.  
"Yeah, Chief. Triple H is the name of his character, real name's Paul," answered another officer.

A firefighter walked over to them, sighing heavily and shaking his head.  
"What is it, Billy?" the officer asked.  
"You mean was the name," Billy corrected him, "The vic is DOA, he must've died on or shortly after the impact."

One of the female medics who was working on Stephanie approached the three men.  
"Any change?" asked the Chief.  
She shook her head. "We lost her."

The chief rubbed the skin between his eyes, feeling the tension headache already setting in.  
"Son of a bitch," he whispered, looking up at his officers, "this is gonna be one hell of a hard call to make."


	2. Chapter 2

The services for Hunter and Stephanie were held at the same place and on the same day. Their families knew the couple's wishes in terms of being buried together. They just never expected it would be so soon, and at the same time.

Their caskets lay side by side at the funeral home where the wake was held and then at the church. The McMahon family had to hold a two day period for the wake, due to the hundreds of people that wished to pay their respects.

Linda and Patricia were the worst wreck of all, never leaving their childs' casket. People from across nearly every country were grieving the loss of these two amazing entertainers. It was the first time in decades that the World Wrestling Entertainment business would not have any shows, whether it be televised or a private house show. The top athlete in the company and the billion dollar heiress to the McMahon throne were dead. Nobody would have wrestled under those conditions.

_Oily marks appear on walls, where pleasure moments hung before the takeover, the sweeping insensitivity of this still life. Hide and Seek. Trains and sewing machines (you won't catch me around here). Blood and tears. They were here first..._

Stephanie felt a gust of wind scoop her up and felt herself being whisked away, somewhere up high. She opened her eyes and looked around her. She screamed when she realized that something almost invisible was carrying her thousands of feet above the Earth's ground.

"You need not to worry, my child," said the spirit, its voice soft and calm.  
Stephanie looked up at it, her eyes swimming in confusion, with a trace of terror. "Who are you? What's going on, where am I?" she asked in a frenzy.  
The spirit shushed her. "You're in heaven, my child," he smiled.

Hunter woke up feeling completely flawless. It was almost as though he were sleeping on a cloud. But alas! He was sleeping on a cloud! He sat up in a flash and jerked his head from side to side.  
"Hey!" he shouted. "Hey, somebody? Where the hell am I, where's my wife?"

A rather tall and slender, airy figure appeared out of nowhere. Hunter looked up at her strangely.  
"Who're you?" he asked, studying this odd person, who wore a ghost-white sleeveless gown, and had a crystal halo shining above her flowing golden hair.  
The woman smiled at him. "My name is Araiya," she said.  
"Is this a dream? Or are you supposed to be my nurse or something?" he asked her.  
"No, I'm your angel," she sweetly replied.  
"I remember a crash," he slowly recalled.

Hunter paused for a moment, before looking up at her again for answers. "What do they have me on? And where is my wife, is she even here? Was she hurt?"  
"You mustn't worry yourself so much at a time," she told him.  
"Just tell me what happened to my wife and what hospital she's at right now," he impatiently replied.  
"Your wife is feeling no pain right now, Hunter. She is most peaceful, and this is not a hospital," Araiya giggled.  
"Then where the hell am I, where is she?"  
"Heaven," she replied, "You have both been brought through the gates of heaven."

He stood up and looked at her like she was out of her mind. "What!" he exclaimed. "What's your real name and you better not tell me this is an institution for crazy psycho's like yourself!"  
Hunter felt the cloud swiftly move beneath him. He looked down and felt as though he might lose his balance. "Whoa," he shakily muttered, stretching his arms out at each side.

"I tell no lies because I have none. I have been forgiven of my sins for a long time now, and I am pure as God intended me to be," she told him.  
He quirked an eyebrow at her and then suspiciously gave her an up-down glance. "If you're an angel like you claim to be, then how come you don't have wings?"  
"I do," she said, turning around just enough to show the tips of them. They were so white that you almost wouldn't notice them. "It's more difficult to point out when you're a newcomer."  
"What do you mean, newcomer?" he asked.  
"This is Heaven, Hunter. I told you. Your wife is here too."  
"Don't bullshit me! Where is Stephanie, what have you done with her?" he demanded.

"Please, you do not want to disturb the heavens," said Araiya. "You will be seeing Stephanie soon enough, I give you my word. She is probably having the same introduction with her own angel right now."  
Hunter paced back and forth on the cloud. He rubbed his eyes harshly, in hopes of waking himself up now. But it was of no use.

He looked up at Araiya sadly and asked, "I'm dead, aren't I? We both are, me and Steph. How did this happen...why, why did this happen?"  
Araiya walked closer to Hunter and put her hand over his heart. "Destiny chose you both the night of your accident. The lord didn't want to take one of you and leave the other to face life alone, without their other half. He knew you could not handle that," she explained. "You should take this time to grieve your own death, it comes as a shock, I know. But soon you will understand and in time you will both adjust. I promise, you will be happy here one day. Probably sooner than you know it."

Hunter just sighed heavily, but still he felt lighter. The reason for that was because now, almost all of his mortal stress had been taken away. He didn't know what he would do without his old life. No family, no familiar surroundings to go back to, and even worse...no career that he held so dear to his heart. He had worked so hard for all that he had achieved in life. 

"What about wrestling? And our family? Stephanie and I, we want a family of our own. We never even got the chance!" he cried.  
"That will all be resolved in time, Hunter. Just like all the rest. You will see. Heaven does not exist to take away those happinesses from your mortal life. It just means making a few adjustments. Give Him a chance, give the angels a chance. Your mission from now on will be about getting your wings," said Araiya. "Now I must go, but first lead you to your living quarters."  
"Will Stephanie meet me there?" he asked hopefully.  
"No, not at this time. But very soon you will be able to share quarters with each other, just like when you were mortals, if you wish. Another thing we don't do here is take away a happy sanction of marraige like the one you and Stephanie share."  
He didn't say anything. All he kept thinking was how could that be true? His first arrival and they had already taken away so much.


	3. Chapter 3

Hunter walked into his new living quarters with apprehension. As the door shut behind him, he looked over his shoulder, just to make sure this wasn't a dream. And it wasn't.

He looked around and noticed that he was standing in a big open room, very bright. To his left, there were two doors opposite of one another. At his right, a small kitchen with a table fit for two people. All the kitchen consisted of was a row of counter cabinets, sink and stove built in as well. And a small refridgerator.

His eyebrows went up, leaving him to feel nothing but dumbfounded.  
"Are you serious?" he said to himself.

Then he noticed a button on the wall that had the word "Gaurdian" across it. So he pressed it, wondering if God would answer the call.  
"Yes, Hunter?"  
It was Araiya's voice. He nodded to himself and shook his head in disappointment. i Figures /i he thought to himself.  
"What's all this about?"  
"I'm sorry?" she pardoned him.  
"My "living quarters," that you people have got me in," he said, mocking in tone.

"Hunter," Araiya began, "They are temporary living quarters. Remember what we discussed earlier? Things will change, this is just a space for you to get acquainted in."  
"Acquainted to what?" he scoffed. "I thought this was supposed to be Heaven, not Limbo!"  
"If it were Limbo, you'd be training for some outrageous job right now, with nothing but a television and couch in your room."  
"Oh yeah?" said Hunter, "Outrageous job, huh? Like what, the Easter bunny?"  
He laughed mockingly at his own comment. But Araiya did not. His jaw dropped as he exclaimed, "Oh my God, you've GOT to be kidding me!"

Araiya spoke up quickly. "Hunter, you will have to learn to control the impulse of your words! Everytime you use God's name in vain, He will assume there is an urgency that you are acquiring of him. This must be taken seriously."  
"What's he gonne send me to Hell if I slip up?" asked Hunter.  
"No. But please just think before you speak in the future, we want the Heavens to remain perfect."

Hunter rolled his eyes. Think before he spoke, hah! They obviously did not know him very well after all.

"Is there anything else?" asked Araiya.  
"No," he muttered with a sigh, "Not right now, at least. Thanks."

Curious as to what was behind those doors, Hunter walked across the room and opened the left door first. It was a master bathroom, and by master we mean literally. The walls were shiny tiles of pearl, complimenting the ivory soft floors. The bathroom was engulfed by a sparkling gold bath tub, and it was real gold. There was a marble shower, a lot like the one they had in their newly built tour bus on Earth.

It was stocked with everything he would need and then some. There was also a leather recliner that sat a few feet away from the silver flat screen T.V..  
Hunter pushed out his lips and nodded, impressed by what he was looking at. "Not bad," he said.

Now he was curious to see what was behind the other door, but was assuming that it was a bedroom. He was hoping that it would be as luxurious as the bathroom.

Hunter entered the door on the right. For a moment, he gasped at what was in front of him. The room looked to be floating again, he could see the clouds clear as day around him. As he walked cautiously towards the edges, Hunter stretched out his hand. He sighed with relief when his hand was met by solid surfaces. Glass windows.  
"Great," he mumbled. "So much for privacy. Bet they don't even have night here, how the heck am I gonna sleep?"

The bed was a Queen size mattress, complete with wooden frames to accent. There were two medium-size dressers, they were made of cherry oak marble. And the closet was empty, and about half the size of the one he and Stephanie had at home. Well, used to have at home.

He went back out into the spacious living room and sat on his couch. Hunter noticed a remote control sitting on the glass coffee table, so he picked it up and turned it on. He flipped through some channels. There were some sports, a news program entitled "Heaven on Earth," for those who were interested, and some other ones he didn't pay much attention to.  
"They better have wrestling up here," he said.

Hunter turned the channel again, only this time he was looking at people he knew and loved. It was almost like watching a home video. There they were, the McMahon and Levesque families, grieving at Vince and Linda's mansion. They were all dressed in black. It seemed dead in that house too. Barely any movement took place.  
He ran his hands through his hair and sighed as his heart grew heavier. "Oh man," he whispered, touching the screen briefly. He saw his mother sitting in a corner chair, sobbing quietly to herself, while holding a picture of her son close to her chest.

His own eyes welled up with tears. "Mom..." he whispered, lowering his head. "I'm so sorry."

That's when Hunter started to feel the ramifications of his death kick in. He looked up around his place, not sure where to actually look to when talking to God now, and yelled, "You see everything. Are you seeing this!"

"How can you put her through that punishment, huh? Are you happy now!"

There was no sign of an answer from Him. Hunter was devastated and confused, wishing himself to wake up. But he was not dreaming. They said he was in Heaven but to Hunter, everything about this place was Hell.

He put his head in his hands and began to cry. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door. It was a soft knock and he almost didn't hear it. Taking him by surprise, he looked up again and gasped at the sound.  
"Come in," he said in a solemn voice, then mumbling to himself, "I guess."

The door opened and a light shone through. Hunter was expecting to turn around and see Araiya entering the quarters. Instead, it was his wife that the light had brought in.


	4. Chapter 4

Hunter stared at his wife as the door closed behind her, exasperated by her presence. He blinked twice to make sure it was really her and not just a figment of his imagination.

Stephanie walked closer to him and sighed when she saw the heart-breaking expression on his face.  
"Hunter," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder.  
He could still feel her touch, that was good. "I didn't know if I'd see you again," he said.  
"They told you that you would," she replied, "I was told that you weren't taking all of this too well up here, so I decided to show up early for you."  
"Wait a minute," said Hunter, rubbing the skin between his eyes. "Are you actually okay with this situation?"  
"It's not really a situation, Hunter. We died. This is Heaven, the after life. And this is where we belong now," she tried reasoning.

He laughed a bit un-intentionally. "How can you be so calm about that, Stephanie?" he exclaimed, dumbfounded by her attitude. "We're dead! And we shouldn't be! There's been a huge mistake, we don't belong here! I thought you'd feel the same way so we could figure out together on how to get back down there," he pointed towards the mortal world below.

She shook her head and sighed heavily, before sitting down next to him on the couch. She rested her hand on his thigh.  
"Baby," Stephanie began, "This is not a dream we're having. We died in that car accident that night. Araiya and Finn are gaurdians that welcome the new angels."  
"Steph, this is nuts. We're too young to die, don't try and tell me that that is "the plan" for us, okay? We never even got the chance to have kids!" he said.  
She gave him a sweet smile. "Honey, we can have it all up here. This is Heaven. Finn and I had a long discussion and he answered all of my questions. I was devastated at first because I thought I'd never have children now. I don't know how, but somehow we will be able to have them. It could be awhile before we do or even comprehend how it's possible up here...but it'll happen."

Hunter could not understand why Stephanie was accepting all of this so easily.  
He had to ask, "Don't you want us to have a real life? A life that we loved, amazing careers, and raise our children in the normal world like everyone else...surrounded by more family than just you and I?"  
Stephanie didn't respond right away. She had to think about it first. And yes, it would've been nice. She was not going to deny that she still felt sad.  
"Well," she said, hoping this might help, "They will have family. We're just waiting for the others to join us up here. With what's happened to us, I think we should know more than anybody that death can come at any time, especially when you least expect it. Age isn't a factor, fate is."

She brought up another point. "And some of our family members are already in Heaven, like our own grandparentrs. I'm sure they'll be waiting to see us again as soon as we're settled in."

Hunter put his head in hands, rubbing his forehead in frustration. Stephanie brought her hand around to his cheek.  
"Hunter, look at me," she said, quietly. He did. "We have to accept this. At least try to do that, for me if nothing else. We should be thankful that we're still together, at the very least. Don't you think so?"  
He did smile slightly at that. "Yeah," he nodded, "that's the only thing that's been holding me together throughout this."  
Stephanie hugged him from the side and kissed him. "I'm sure Araiya and Finn can help us get our own place up here, together that is. I have nice arrangements right now but that's nothing without you there."  
"I know what you mean. I'm just in so much shock right now. And I think it's going to take a lot more than an hour or two for that to go away. Can you bare with me?"  
Steph giggled and said, "Of course I can. I've dealt with you when you were a lot grumpier than this, remember?"

Hunter chuckled as he ran his hands through his hair. He nodded and glanced at his wife, noticing how pure she looked. She had always been beautiful; but now that they were in Heaven, she had even more natural beauty. Her skin glowed and she never looked healthier. The good thing about this was that they would never have to worry about getting sick or feeling any pain again. 

"What?" she asked him, noticing his long stare.  
"You're just...incredibly beautiful, that's all. I mean really, truely beautiful. Everything about you looks so...pure," he said.  
She smiled almost tearfully at him and kissed him on the lips. "I love you," she whispered, "And thank you."

After they broke their embrace once again, Stephanie looked into his eyes.  
"Just have some faith in me Hunter, have faith in the angels. We'll be just fine."


End file.
